Judicial system

Keynote address at the Conference on Human Rights Solidarity Bangladesh, May 2016, Bangkok, Thailand Discussing Bangladesh’s situation from the human rights perspective is no doubt a difficult issue, given the chaotic situation that has developed in both the country’s political and criminal justice systems, during recent times. It may not be of much comfort to […]

This week, Just Asia continues its report on the prosecution of Indonesian activists for crimes against public authorities. Hundreds of labor activists have been demonstrating peacefully outside the court, calling for an end to their unfair trial and criminalization. For more details, Just Asia presents the speech of Michael, one labor activist, and a short […]

Last Sunday, the Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur, made an emotional plea to the Executive to increase the number of judges and fill up the vacant posts to fix the issue of the severe shortage of judges in India. A visibly crestfallen man, the Chief Justice spoke in detail about the challenges faced […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly objects to the arrest of Nepali journalist and civil society leader Kanak Mani Dixit on corruption charges. He has been arrested on the orders of the country’s anti-corruption body, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), on 22 April 2016. According to the CIAA’s press release […]

We wish to share with you the following report from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative(CHRI), an organisation working on promoting ‘the practical realisation of Human Rights in the countries of the Commonwealth’ by focussing on ‘building and reforming systems of governance which are essential for the protection and promotion of Human Rights’. The CHRI is […]

A Statement from The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) welcomes the continued scrutiny of the deteriorating situation in the Maldives by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which serves as a watchdog committee for Commonwealth countries. However, CHRI must point out that no […]

The name Kondaya is now a household name, following the tragic Sadewmi case, the abduction, rape and murder of a little girl of around 4 years. Discovery of the dead body led to an uproar not only in her village and the neighbouring villages but throughoutthecountry. There was a demand for immediate inquiries and for prosecution and […]

This week Just Asia begins with nine mothers cementing their feet in front of the Indonesian Presidential Palace on April 12. The mothers are calling on President Widodo to stop the development of a cement factory in Rembang, Central Java, which will damage a resource rich environment. Just Asia speaks to Mr. Ki Bagus Hadi […]

What would happen in a society where there is no sense that murder is a grave wrong to be prevented by the state and the people? The same thing could be asked about rape, sexual abuse of women, children or anyone else, about robbery and theft, extortion and drug trafficking. Many more wrongs against individuals […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward the interview by Mr. Basil Fernando, Director – Policies & Programmes of the AHRC in News Line TV 1. In the interview Mr. Fernando speaks about the importance of re-establishing a criminal justice framework in Sri Lanka that is capable of protecting all freedoms of the people. In […]

A group of people at a workshop identified the following as the basic adverse consequences of delays in litigation: • It changes the way litigation is conducted and encourages exchanging favors, as well as lying. • It encourages using criminals and other third parties to settle disputes. • Many judges preside over the same trial […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned about a symposium on the 1965 massacre, held on 18 and 19 April 2016 in Jakarta. The government, represented by the President`s advisory body (Watimpres), the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Press Council, and also representatives from other government institutions attended the symposium. The […]

By Phattranit Yaodam On 26 January 2016, the Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, wrote a letter to the Chairperson of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) regarding the draft Act on Trafficking in Persons Procedure Code. He wrote about the rationale and provided a summary of the main issues, and urged the NLA to give priority […]

The Asian Human Right Commission (AHRC) welcomes the release of political prisoners and student protesters in Burma. This is another positive development, and the AHRC will continue to monitor developments and work closely on criminal justice reform in the transitional period toward democracy. On 17 April 2016, Burmese New Year Day, the President of Myanmar, […]

We are sharing with you a discussion conducted between Dr. U C P Perera, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, who has also been involved in the investigations into the Chemmanimass grave, and Mr. Basil Fernando, Director Policy and Programmes, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong […]

After decades of engagement across Asia, and in particular, in Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries, seeking to learn about and confront the most fundamental problems plaguing our societies, the Asian Human Rights Commission has arrived at a juncture where both the root malady can be diagnosed and ways forward for society can be […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission, FIDH, and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) The Bangladesh Government’s attempts to silence free speech continue. Several senior journalists and writers are facing trumped up charges and arbitrary detention for having published stories that are critical of the authorities. Mr. Shafik Rehman, an 81-year-old author, anti-death […]

Pakistani women, be they young or old, or even dead or alive, suffer rape by perverted elements that use rape as a tool to suppress and oppress half of the country’s population. One cannot fathom the moral bankruptcy of a society where a rape occurs every two hours. Going by the statistics, each day 12 […]

This episode of Just Asia begins with Indonesia, where a public protest called for the dissolution of Indonesia’s Anti-Terror Police Unit. The protest followed the death of Mr. Siyono, one day after being arrested by the Police Unit on March 10. Although the police claimed Siyono died from fighting police personnel, an independent autopsy revealed […]

By Urmila Pullat On 3 April 2016, four men died of asphyxiation in a clogged manhole in Dodballapur, near Bangalore. Two of these men were manual scavengers, while the other two were passers-by who died while trying to save them. Manual scavenging is the scourge of India, mired in complex issues of caste, poverty, class […]